BREAKING: Two stabbed in renewed xenophobic attacks in South Africa

Two persons were stabbed on Sunday in a resurgence of xenophobic protests in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The President, Nigerian Union South Africa, Adetola Olubajo, confirmed this to our correspondent in a telephone interview.

He however could not speak on the nationalities of the victims or the severity of the injuries as the police had yet to reveal the identities of the victims.

Olubajo said, “It’s confirmed that two people were stabbed at a ‘taxi rank’ and Jeppe Road in Johannesburg Central Business District and we have informed the Consul-General of Nigeria in Johannesburg and the police in Jeppestown.

“I’m not sure (of their nationalities) as the police have taken them to hospital. Their identities were not disclosed. The police are using rubber bullets to disperse them.”

According to the NUSA president, there was a meeting on Sunday morning which the police minister was supposed to address.

He said a popular South African activist, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, addressed the South Africans, calling for peace, but some of the protesters got angry and left.

Olubajo added, “Now, they are chanting ‘foreigners must go’ with some dangerous weapons in their hands. They have moved from Jeppestown to Braamfontein even to the CBD Taxi Rank in town.

“Though we have been monitoring the incident for the past three hours now, police have not been able to disperse them. Our fear is that they may start looting again in the night.

“We have sent an alert to the Nigerians. Immediately, we used our various social media platforms to do that. We sent it to our structures and the entirety of Nigerians. Most Nigerians are aware of this by now because there are photos and videos, and it is also televised by SABC.”

He noted that a lot of Nigerians lived in the affected area though some had relocated because last Sunday’s looting and vandalism of Nigerian businesses by South Africans occurred in the same area.

“Quite a number of our people live around Jeppestown and Fountain. We are talking about Johannesburg, which is very big but Jeppestown is close the eastern part of Johannesburg.

“Jules Street is closer to them; it’s a major road they would take to the CBD. Taxi Rank is the major bus stop there. They have virtually captured that taxi rank and Braamfontein,” Olubajo explained.